The Cycle of Reincarnation in the Four-Courtyard House: A Journey Through the Heavens

Li Xiao's sharp eyes carefully observed the little girl's expression. At this moment, apart from fear and confusion, there seemed to be nothing else unusual in her eyes.

In her previous life, Liu Yifei had a nearly perfect oval face, but the little girl in front of her had become so thin that her face was shaped like a cone due to hunger and recovery from a serious illness.

Her skin now had a sickly, waxy yellow hue, and even her hair looked like dried straw, devoid of any luster.

Although the little girl's appearance had changed drastically, she still couldn't escape Li Xiao's sharp, hawk-like eyes.

In his previous life, Li Xiao was one of the world's top special agents, and facial recognition was one of their essential skills.

Once he's seen someone or a photo, unless they've undergone extensive plastic surgery, no matter how much makeup they wear, it's hard for them to escape Li Xiao's discerning eyes.

When the little girl opened her eyes and saw the scene before her, she seemed to be frightened. She hugged her chest with both hands and prepared to back away.

"Don't be afraid, little girl, we're not bad people!"

Perhaps it was Wang Xia's friendly smile that touched her, and the fear on the little girl's face gradually disappeared.

"Who...who are you people?"

Wang Xia held the little girl's hand and said, "Little girl, we're fleeing famine from Handan County in the south, heading to Beijing to make a living. Today we passed through your village, and my son found you in your corn stalk pile!"

Wang Xia then recounted her story to the young girl, including what had happened after she was discovered.

"Girl, what's your name? How old are you? Is this your home?"

The little girl was now fully awake. She turned her head and looked around, then suddenly burst into tears.

Wang Xia held the little girl in her arms, gently patting her back, letting her vent her fear and sadness.

After a while, the little girl finally poked her head out of Wang Xia's arms, sobbing.

Her beautiful eyes were red and swollen from crying, but the original look of fear had disappeared.

Having a good cry is indeed the best way to release emotions.

"Auntie, my name is Liu Erni, and I am eleven years old."

Li Xiao sighed softly.

In later generations, an eleven-year-old girl with good nutrition would be much taller and heavier than this little girl.

The girl in front of me, Liu Erni, looks like a seven or eight-year-old child at first glance.

"Oh, it's Erni!"

Wang Xia also liked this pretty little girl very much and gently patted her head.

Seeing the cautious look on Liu Erni's face and the hint of sadness hidden in her eyes, Li Xiao scratched his head.

"Perhaps it's just a coincidence. If this little girl really is that fairy sister who traveled through time, her acting skills shouldn't be able to escape my eyes."

Liu Erni continued, her voice trembling slightly, "I only remember that night, there was a series of chaotic footsteps outside the village, and I also heard a few gunshots."

"My grandfather rushed out to check the situation outside. He quickly ran back and hid me in the pile of straw."

"Grandpa told me not to make any noise, because there were white dogs sweeping through the village."

"Soon, I heard the sound of the door being kicked open, followed by the screams of my grandparents and mother. I was terrified and somehow fell asleep!"

Upon hearing this, Li Xiao realized that the little girl had fainted from fright.

He secretly rejoiced that the girl had fainted, otherwise the noise she made might have been discovered by the group of traitors and puppet troops.

Li Xiao suddenly asked, "Erni, where's your father? Where did he go?"

"My father was taken to work in the county by the Japanese when I was five years old, and he never came back!"

As Liu Erni recounted the events, everyone understood what had happened.

The severe drought in Henan Province has also affected this area. The large number of displaced people, coupled with the local reduction in grain production, has led to food shortages in nearby counties.

So those Japanese soldiers sent the puppet troops and traitors stationed in the county town to the countryside to plunder grain.

In this freezing winter, if Li Xiao hadn't discovered the little girl's hiding place in time, and if any more time had passed, the girl probably wouldn't have survived the night!

Early the next morning, Li Xiao buried Liu Erni's family in the cemetery behind the village.

The little girl watched as her dearest person left her forever, and she cried her heart out.

Li Xiao found some paper money in some houses in the village and burned it in front of the graves before taking Liu Erni's hand and walking towards the village.

"Erni, why don't you come with us to Beijing? You're just a young girl, and you don't have any relatives left. Staying here is just waiting to die!"

Wang Xia took the little girl's hand, preparing to take her to Beijing to make a living.

Liu Erni glanced at Li Xiao, who smiled and nodded at her. She then turned to Wang Xia and said, "Auntie, I'll go with you!"

"Okay, okay!"

Wang Xia also adored this little girl, not only because she was beautiful, but also because she was an extremely clever and well-behaved child.

Suddenly, Li Xiao had a sudden inspiration and said, "Erni, how about I give you a formal name, and Erni will be your nickname from now on?"

"Okay, I heard from my mother that I have an older brother who is three years older than me, but unfortunately he died of illness when he was very young, so they named me Erni."

Li Xiao nodded and said, "From now on, you'll be called Liu Qianqian!"

Li Qian quickly looked at Li Xiao and said, "Big brother, why did you give Sister Erni the same name as me?"

Li Xiao stroked his younger sister's head and said, "Her 'Qian' is not the same character as your 'Qian'. Her 'Qian' is a plant called madder."

"The meaning behind my name is to describe her as a small madder plant, which may look fragile, but has a tenacious vitality and can break through the soil and grow strong no matter how harsh the environment!"

Upon hearing Li Xiao's words, Liu Erni's eyes lit up, and she nodded repeatedly, saying, "Thank you, Brother Xiao! From now on, my name will be Liu Qianqian!"

Wang Xia and Li Feng both nodded with smiles, clearly liking the name very much.

After the five finished breakfast, they did not set off immediately. Li Xiao planned to use some materials from the space supermarket to make a cart that could be pulled, so that they could speed up their journey.

After staying another day in this village called Da Liu Zhuang, a flatbed cart covered with a tarpaulin was ready.

Li Xiao and Li Feng, the two brothers, carried all the quilts from Liu Qianqian's house to the car. They let Wang Xia and the two little girls get in, and then Li Xiao said to Li Feng, "Xiao Feng, you get in too!"

Li Feng shook his head and said, "Brother, I'm a man now, I want to pull the cart with you!"

Li Xiao patted his underling's head: "No need to pull the cart, you can walk with me!"

"Um!"

A resolute expression appeared on Li Feng's small face as he nodded heavily.